Mozart magic moves muggers from mall

Wellington (dpa) – Mozart has moved muggers away from a shopping mall in Christchurch, turning the once-crime-ridden centre into a peaceful haven, a newspaper reported on Monday.

Beaming The Magic Flute and other Mozart pieces from loudspeakers in the City Mall has led to a steep fall in crime and anti-social behaviour, The Press reported.

It said security guards who were called to 77 anti-social incidents in a week in October 2008 attended only two in the same week this year and the number of drug and alcohol-related incidents fell from 16 to zero.

The guards, who had to help shopkeepers deal with 35 troublesome customers in the week two years ago, were not called upon this year.

Police Senior Sergeant Gordon Spite told the paper, “The music has had quite a calming affect on things. It has created an environment that is conducive to good behaviour.”

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